Adjustable back for sofa-beds.



D. F. DYKE.

ADJUSTABLE BACK FOR SOFA BEDS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1916.

1,260,348 Patented Mar. 20 1918.

Z5 Ewan i024- jar/EJ512033 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DARRELL F. DYKE, OI GHICAGQILLINOIS, ASSIGNDR TO THE SENG COMPANY, 0'

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE BACK FOR SOFA-BEDS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

lamented Mar. 2e, milk Application filed November 16, 1916. Serial No.131,630.

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Adjustable Back for Sofa-Beds, of which:

the followin is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in adjustable hacks for sofa-bedsof that class wherein to adjust the bed to operative position it isfirst necessary to turn the seat, and to permit of the latter operation,to elevate the back, whereby to release the seat from itsengagement withthe back.

The principal ob'ects of the invention are to provide a simpie as wellas economical mechanism for connecting the sofa-back to the sofa-frame,whereby said back may be raised and lowered with comparatively littleeffort and when raised will automatically remain in such-position.

Other obects and advantages ofthe invention will hereinafter appear, andthe novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the apended claims.

Referring to the rawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sofabed embodying the invention, theback being illustrated in its raised position and shown partly brokenawa at one end to expose the mechanism covere thereby.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view, parts beingbroken away, and the back shown elevated.

Figs. 3. and 4am side and bottom views, respectively, of a detail ofconstruction hereinafter referred to. 7

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts in all the figuresof the draw- 0 illustrate the ap lication and operation of theinvention, liave shown the same in connection with the conventional formof sofa-bed, or rather, so much thereof as is necessary. The frame-work,as is usual in this type of bed, comprises the opposite ends 1, theconnecting back-portion 2, and the overturning or forwardly swingingseat 3, the frame, in this instance, havin one or more standards 4,projectin upwar ly from its rear edge, between whic and the seat 3,rests the lower ed e of the adjustable sofaback 5, when the atter islowered and the structure is in what might be termed sofaform, (seedotted lines Fig. 2.)

To each end of the soia-back 5, preferably at the outer sides of thevertical end, ,bars"" thereof, is secured by ordinary screw'sffif metalsecnringplate 6, the same beblg'gloi'v cated adjacent the lower edge ofthe ba iii? Pivoted to the upper ends of each of such, plates 6, asindicated at 7, is an sameness 8, at the lower bent end of which islocatedIf laterally disposed pintle 9. Similarly piyji oted, as at 10,to the lower end of each 'of'lflo the plates 6, is a bell-cranklevecllfth? upper end of which is angularl disposedg'fas at 12, the twolovers at each sir c of the shfa-' back being 0 )positely disposed.

Bolted to t e underside of the usual. cross "10 piece of the sofa-frame,(which cross-piece 'I have indicated as 13,) near each end of the same,is an angular sheet-metal bracket 14, (see detail Figs. 3 and 4-,) andeach com prises an upper securing portion 15, the front end of which isdownwardly disposedftc form a slightly inclined spring-btifierlb, and adependlng side flange 17. The se curing portion 15, is provided withordinary screw-receiving holes, and the side flange as with a hole 19,the hole 19 of each bracket being for the urpose of receiving the pintle 9 of the adjacent levers or links 8.

Preferably angular sheetmetal brackets 20, are located vertically belowthe brackets '"85 let and project somewhat beyond thelatter. To thebrackets 20, the beli-cra11k levers 11 M are pivoted, as at 21, thepoints of pii otbe ing coincident with the angles of the leversf Acoiled spring 22, may have its upper ioe end connected with the end ofthat branch" or member of the bell-crank opposite that w pivoted to thes0fa-back, the lower endioff the spring being made fast to an eye23,6011? venientl located in the back 2 of the name It wil be seen thatthe springsiti'i care -so located with relation to the pivots- 21,widens? a; are the fulcrums of the bell-crank levers.ll!1;- that as saidlevers 11 are moved on their fuie crums, the springs will pass to oneside'only a m of said fulcrums, and when this occurs fthfoc; levers 11will be upwardly disposed and the i all sofa-back raised or elevated toits uppermost; a. position, the sprin s combining to maintain thesepartsthus. en, however, the'sofa a-aoti back is lowered to the positionshown dotted lines (Fig. 2,) the springs will-be=.- under somewhatgreater tension, but beings? in substantial alinement with theivots21,ti:' will exert little if any influence. hey'hre," f however, insuch position that the slightest upward movement of the sofa back willserve to carr the springs rearward and beyond the f crums 21 of thebell-crank levers and thus cause them to combine and aid in theelevation of the sofa-back. Of course, in lowering the back, the weightof the lat ter, to a certain extent, counterbalances the stren h andtendency of the springs, the one a out counterbalancing the other. Thusit will be apparent that but slight exertion is necessary in either thelowerin or raising operation of the sofa-back and t at the latter may beeasily and noiselessly accomplished.

An arrangement of links and levers, combined with suitable springs, willbe found ve useful in that class of sofa-beds to which 'I have referred,as their presence will greatly reduce the labor now necessa in operatingthe bed to open and closed pos1- tions. Moreover, by the employment ofthe bell-crank levers 11, it will be seen that the springs exert thegreatest leverage when the sofa-back is wholly raised, so that nofurther means is re uired for locking or holdin the back thus e evatedand while the bed is in use as such. It will be understood that 'I havemerely herein typified my invention, and that there are otherarrangements of levers and links that will accomplish similar results,and I do not desire to be understood as limiting my invention to theexact details described and illustrated.

So, also, as to the forms and constructions of brackets employed forconnecting the links and levers to the sofa-frame. The bracketvembodying the spring-butter 16 will be found useful and beneficial, thespring-buffer serving the purpose of cashioning and deadenin the noiseof closing the back, but, as will be apparent, other forms of bracketsmay be used. The standards. 4 will be found useful as stops for the backwhen lowered, and for this purpose, combine with the bumpers 16.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is:

1. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable seat, the combination with asofa-frame having a back rovided with an overhanging top rail, of avertically movable sofaback, a pair of upper links pivoted at theirouter. ends to the opposite ends of the back and having their inner endsangularl disposed to t eir remaining portions and pivoted to the back ofthe sofa-frame below the overhanging top-rail, whereby the latter iscleared when the movable back is elevated, a pair of lower links pivotedat their outer ends to the opposite ends of the back and at their innerends to the back of the sofaframe, and 'means for retaining the back ineither its raised or lowered position.

2. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable seat, the combination with thesofa-frame having a back rovided with an overhanging top-rail, 0% avertically movable sofaback, a pair of upper links pivoted at theirouter ends to the opposite ends of the back and having their inner endsangularly disposed to their remaining portions and pivoted to the backof the sofa-frame below the overhanging top-rail, whereby the latter iscleared when the movable back is elevated, a pair of lower bell-cranklevers pivoted at their outer ends to the movable back and at theirangles to the sofa-frame, and counterbalancing springs connected to thebell-crank levers at the inner endsof the latter and to the sofa-frameand so positioned with relation to the pivot points between the an lesof the bell-crank levers and the sofarame as to be placed under tensionwhen the movable back is lowered and to aid in raising the latter afteran initial movement of the same.

3. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable seat, the combination with theframe, of a vertically movable sofa-back, links pivoted to the ends ofthe back and at their inner ends to the sofa-frame, bell-crank leverspivoted at their inner ends to the back below the points of pivot of thelinks, and having their fulcrum points located at their angles, andcounterbalancing springs connected to the opposite ends of saidbellcrank levers and adapted to counterbalance the weight of thesofa-back and so positioned with relation to said fulcrum points as tobe substantially in line therew th when the back is lowered and at oneside of said points when the back is elevated, whereby the back is heldin such elevated position.

4. In a sofa-bed, comprising a movable back, the combination with themain-frame, ofia vertically movable back, a pair of links pivoted to theends of the movable back, angular sheet-metal brackets havin 1aterallydisposed openings and forwar ly and downwardly. disposed extensionsforming spring-buffers, pintles connecting the rear ends of the linksand said openings of the brackets, a pair of bent bell-crank leverspivoted at their bent ends to the ends of the back below the links,brackets extending from the mainframe and upon which the bell-cranks arefulcrumed, and a air of counterbalancin springs connects to themain-frame an at their 0 posite ends to the rear free ends of the be]-cranks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

DARRELL F. DYKE.

Witnesses:

F, H. ELWERT, J OHN M. Bnos'r.

